Prosecutor rules out separate trials for Mladic

Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Wednesday said his team would not appeal ruling that blocked splitting trials against Ratko Mladic. "We have no grounds to appeal," Serge Brammertz told a press conference here in The Hague, "it's a very complex issue. We had arguments we believed in, but we are working in a system where the final say is for the judges." Last Thursday the ICTY confirmed that the trial of former Bosnian Serb Army Commander Mladic will not be split into two parts. The trial chamber turned down the prosecution's request to sever the indictment, but granted its motion to add to the charges the crimes committed in the village of Bisina in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. "We're still dedicated to make sure this trial is as manageable as possible. Now we are exploring, based on our own initiative, what we can do to streamline the indictment," he said. "We are now reviewing the case to see if it would theoretically be possible to further reduce the case without jeopardizing our main objective, which is to make sure we have an efficient prosecution, where the main crimes in relation to the different components are represented," the prosecutor added. Brammertz stressed that the trial is not only a matter of "having a quick decision", but also "very much about opportunities for witnesses and victims to tell their stories." Mladic is constantly complaining about his health and is currently receiving medical treatment. Captured on May 26 in Serbia, he was moved to the UN Detention Unit in The Hague on May 31. The former commander will be back in court on November 10 for his next status conference. However, the deteriorating health situation of the former Bosnian Serb Army Commander was not the central issue. "His health was no element in the file. I follow his health situation just like you do and I know he was hospitalized for a while," said Brammertz. Though the ICTY is supposed to be closed by December 31, 2014, Brammertz did not exclude the possibility of extension, saying that "it will very much depend on the dynamic of the trials and appeals."